


Simple and Messy and Sweet

by bluemoodblue



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Found Family, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 18:11:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12064338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemoodblue/pseuds/bluemoodblue
Summary: Taako is a coffee thief. Kravitz makes an observation.





	Simple and Messy and Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> This is... complete fluff. Just a little bit of fluff that ended up long enough to be included here. It's still not very long, but I liked it and I hope you do, too!

It wasn't terribly early in the morning, but it was early enough that the twins weren't up yet - the ideal time of day for Kravitz and Barry to plot together. Today's meeting was held next to the kitchen counter as a fresh cup of coffee brewed for Barry. 

As soon as the cup was finished, Barry took a sip, nodding slightly as Kravitz outlined the plan. "Yeah," he agreed, "good call on not approaching Taako directly about the symphony; he'd cave eventually because it's you asking, but since it's a double date anyway it might as well be Lup who brings it up. She'll like the idea and he'll go along with it."

Before they could reopen the debate about the evening's dinner venue (Kravitz thought a fine dining restaurant would be best, the kind with reservations weeks in advance, but Barry was campaigning for a little hole-in-the-wall diner since it would already be pretty late), they were interrupted. Taako shuffled into the room, eyes barely open and clearly only minimally awake. He stared at the two of them for just a moment before making a beeline to Barry and draping his full weight on him. Barry, to his credit, did not look fazed or even mildly surprised.

Kravitz tried to sound hurt, but was laughing too much for it to be convincing. “Has my place in your heart been given to someone else, Taako? What have I done to lose your love?”

Taako leaned more heavily on Barry, who was still standing and unmoved. “I have learned over many years of travel,” Taako began, “that Barold is an infinite source of coffee.”

“This is  _ my _ coffee,” Barry said, taking another sip. Taako’s arms reached for the cup, which Barry moved out of the way with the perfect timing of long experience.

“Barry. Barold. Why would you do this to your brother, who you love.”

“Get your own.”

“We’re family. Family both cares and shares.”

“Except not last night when you hogged the last piece of cake, right?”

Taako made another grab, and Kravitz was about to offer to make his boyfriend a fresh cup using the coffee maker not two feet away when he heard shouting from outside.

“Where the fuck is my family?” Lup burst through the door, took in the scene with narrowed eyes, and frowned.

“Hi babe.” Barry smiled and waved a little, but Lup chose not to acknowledge him, instead walking up to Kravitz and leaning on him heavily in a mirror image of Taako across the room.

“Fuck it. You’re ransom until he surrenders the nerd.”

“Coffee,” Taako supplied eloquently, taking advantage of Barry’s distraction and swiping the cup. He took a sip and made a face. “That’s fucking disgusting, my dude.” Taako wandered over to the cabinet, dumping several spoonfuls of sugar into the remaining coffee.

“That’s because I didn’t make it for you. You know how I take my coffee.”

Taako snorted, moving on to chocolate sauce. “Yeah and it’s a damn crime. Lup, weren’t you supposed to train him out of that?” Taako took another sip, made the same face, and reached towards the fridge for the milk.

Lup’s only response was a tiny shrug. Her lean on Kravitz had grown more limp, and he was pretty sure she was falling asleep on him while standing up. Barry chuckled, walked over, and carefully removed her grip. She went willingly, leaning on Barry instead.

Taako reached for another mug in the cabinet. “Hang in there, Lulu, coffee is on the way.”

Kravitz was laughing again. “So you can make some for Lup but you can't make any for yourself?"

Taako sighed with clearly put-upon affection, as though Kravitz was a child who needed to be gently corrected about obvious things. "I am only able to make this cup of coffee because I stole Barry's and siphoned off his energy." 

"So you admit to your thievery." Barry was still eyeing his cup on the counter, ruined and abandoned.

Taako sighed again. " _ Family _ , Barold, what's mine is yours and all that sappy shit." Taako turned to where Barry was now struggling to keep Lup from sliding off of him and onto the floor. "You want flavoring, Lulu?" 

" _ Muh. _ " 

"French vanilla it is." 

While Barry tried to maneuver Lup into one of the chairs at the kitchen table - made more complicated by the fact that Lup was still sliding - Kravitz walked over to Taako and gave him a peck on the temple. "Good morning, love."

"Morning, babe." Taako tried to hide the small smile taking over his face at the little gesture, but it shone out of his eyes anyway. "Yours is next; I gotta get Lup her fix.”

“Certainly, save your sister from falling asleep on more people. Did you sleep well?” Taako’s hair was still a mess, his clothes still rumpled. Not many people saw him like this. Kravitz reached around his stomach and pulled his boyfriend into a loose hug from behind.

“Like the dead,” Taako told him with a laugh. Kravitz reached up to flick one of his ears gently, and it twitched in response. “Until I smelled coffee. Making plans to run away with Barry?”

“Date night,” Kravitz explained, squeezing Taako closer. Maybe they could forget the coffee and just sneak back to bed for cuddle time while Barry was distracted.

“Oooh, intriguing. Do I get to know the plan yet?” The coffee was finished, and Taako was stirring in the mess of ingredients that would make it acceptable to Lup. Kravitz could never remember all of them; her specifications were even more complicated than Taako’s. They were the despair of every barista in Faerun.

“Not until it’s perfect.” He watched Taako stir from over his shoulder. If they gave Lup the cup quickly enough and made their escape while she was still taking her first sip, they might still make it. Of course, Lup was liable to bust open the door and drag them back out.

“Fine, fine, just don’t keep us waiting too long. We are overdue for some  _ romance _ , I am  _ deprived _ .” It had only been two weeks since their last date, and they saw each other every day anyway, but Kravitz silently agreed with him.

Taako’s stirring started to slow, and Kravitz felt him catch himself as his head started to lean to one side. Kravitz laughed. “Are you sure you have enough energy to make another cup?”

"Yes,” Taako insisted, stirring the coffee in front of him in uncertain and uneven strokes, “but only for family, so count your blessings for this unselfish  _ gift _ I am giving you." 

The word had been used a few times already, but this time it stuck somewhere in Kravitz' chest. He glanced over to the table, where Lup was securely seated and already starting to snore, head in her arms. Barry was quietly pulling out a chair next to her. In a few hours Ren would come by with some paperwork for her and Taako to plan an upcoming festival event for the school, which would inevitably lead to everyone in the house to involving themselves by offering terrible suggestions. Angus was coming that night and staying for the weekend; Taako had complained at length about the visit while cleaning out the guest room (that was really just Angus's guest room) meticulously and buying Angus's favorite foods and a new book for him. Next week the entire group was going to descend on Magnus's house at once, just because everyone had agreed that it had been too long. 

And all of this - these people, these plans, these little happy moments - were something Kravitz had now. He was a part of this; not just looking in or looking back, not on the outside as some kind of reluctant threat to other people's happiness, but here. Living was simple and messy and sweet, and Kravitz was living now, for the first time since his death. Maybe for the first time at all. No amount of observation taught him nearly so much about life as an ordinary morning with his family. 

_ His _ family. That was the part that stuck in his chest. He didn’t even know he wanted this, he’d never thought to ask if he could have it, and now it was here, in his arms, in this room, scattered around Faerun.

Taako had noticed his hesitation and turned to look at him. “Kravitz? You okay?”

Kravitz nodded. “Perfect.” 

Something in his voice must have wavered, because Taako turned all the way around and gripped Kravitz’ face in his hands. Kravitz smiled at him, and Taako smiled back, leaned forward, and kissed him. Kravitz felt the warmth of it travel all the way through him, as bright and comforting as the early morning sun streaming in the window. 

Immediately after they broke the kiss, Taako was wiggling in his grip and attempting to break free. “Now scoot, babe, I have to resurrect my sister again.” He’d grabbed the cup of coffee, and Kravitz let go before he could spill it over both of them. 

Taako was clearly already losing energy as he approached the table. He slid the cup in front of Lup, who perked up immediately - when it came to the twins, coffee was a magical substance of great power, not to be underestimated. Taako collapsed into another chair. “Drink it before I drink it for you, and then feel free to shower me in praise.”

Lup didn’t bother to respond, chugging the drink in a way that was frankly frightening and still unsettling to Kravitz, who’d seen her do it dozens of times at least. He turned back to the coffee maker, brewed another cup, and did his best to remember Taako’s detailed process. When it was ready, he placed it on the table in front of Taako, who was looking suspiciously close to falling asleep again as well. It was a familiar sight. This kitchen, multiple cups of coffee, sleepy elves slowly waking up - that was what morning at home looked like. That was what Kravitz’ life looked like.

Taako leaned back and smiled at him tiredly. “Thanks, babe.”

Kravitz leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “Anytime.”

**Author's Note:**

> Did anyone bother to tell Magnus that the group of them are about descend upon his home? Absolutely not. Will Magnus mind unexpected company? Absolutely not.
> 
> Also, I'm leaving this open for more potential future chapters in case I have more ideas for the reaper family (or any of the extended family, honestly). If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them - I can't promise they'll all be included, but I'm always interested to hear your thoughts!


End file.
